Member States

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday backed holding further talks to avoid Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal but rejected major concessions, as he hosted Prime Minister Boris Johnson just over two months ahead of the planned British exit.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on a visit in Paris today for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron who is expected to rebuff his last-ditch efforts to renegotiate the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella urged on Thursday political parties to reach a deal to form a new coalition government in the next few days if they want to avoid snap elections, news wires reported. He began consultations to find a new government after PM Giuseppe Conte quit accusing League party leader Matteo Salvini of endangering the economy for personal and political gain in a blistering resignation speech.

Eighty-three migrants who disembarked on Italy's Lampedusa island were again in limbo on Wednesday as a European deal to redistribute them failed to materialise and Madrid said it could hit the Spanish charity with a hefty fine for rescuing them, AFP reports.

Today, 20 August, marks one year since Greece successfully concluded its European Stability Mechanism (ESM) stability support programme. The 3-year programme took a coordinated approach to tackling long-standing and deep-rooted structural issues that contributed to Greece experiencing an economic crisis and losing access to financial markets.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Berlin on Wednesday to kick off a marathon of tense talks with key European and international leaders as the threat of a chaotic no-deal Brexit looms. On his first foreign visit since taking office, Johnson will seek to convince German Chancellor Angela Merkel to renegotiate elements of the UK's impending divorce from the European Union - something the EU leaders have already ruled out.

Italy’s government collapsed on Tuesday, triggering a power struggle between the country’s right-wing nationalists and rival parties, along with deepening Europe's political upheaval as the Continent struggles with immigration and slowing economic growth.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck a conciliatory tone Monday alongside her Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban as they commemorated the 30th anniversary of a pivotal moment in the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989.

The fate of Italy's government is to be decided today, 20 August, with the Italian parliament holding a confidence vote on the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte after far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini pulled the plug on the dysfunctional coalition.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia's Vladimir Putin on Monday agreed changes in Ukraine had bolstered the chances of peace in its east but clashed on Syria, as the Russian leader made a rare bilateral visit to a key EU power.

Revived “yellow vest” protests against the government of President Emmanuel Macron took place in France on Saturday, news wires reported. Hundreds of demonstrators faced police in a tense stand-off in the French city of Nantes. Police responded with tear gas after some protesters threw projectiles.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that it would require a "feat of strength" in order for Germany to reach its climate goals by 2030 as planned, news wires reported. "Climate change is a challenge for humanity. In order to deal with this challenge, it will require a real feat of strength," Merkel said in the video posted on the chancellery's official website. She pointed out that passing climate legislation was necessary in order for the country to be able to achieve its goal of producing 65% of energy from renewable sources by 2030.